‘There’s no way to hold him’ – Man United given hope of securing player dubbed the new Messi 

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Once the summer transfer window opens for business, Manchester United may have some hope of securing a player that has been dubbed the new Lionel Messi.

Velez Sarsfield talent, Thiago Almada, is coveted by a number of teams, and the club have noted they won’t be able to hold onto the 19-year-old.

“There’s no way to hold him. To all the offers that are seen in the media, add one from the local market and two from Italy,” a Velez board member was quoted as saying, according to ESPN and cited by the Daily Star.

“We’re going to wait for the market to open so that we know what is real and who’s asking, and we’ll be as serious at the negotiating table as we have been since this administration began.”

Where United might have a better chance than any other interested party is down to the coincidental fact that former United central defender, Gabriel Heinze, is now in charge of Velez Sarsfield, and gave the youngster his senior debut.

With five goals and two assists in 25 games this season, per the Daily Star, Almada has shown he has the ability to succeed in Argentine Primera division, but the question remains as to whether he can continue such a trajectory in one of the elite European leagues.

Given it’s a path well trodden and Velez could theoretically name their price for the player, it seems almost certain that Almada will be the next to switch continents, and to that end, United should keep right across developments in order to remain in the box seat for negotiations.

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